Method of recovering iron from ores and preparing iron alloys.



ALEXANDER 's. RAMAGE, or NEW RK, NEW J'nRs Y, ASSIQNOR TO THE ELECTRO STEELCOMPANY F oAigAnA, mu, or wELLANn, ONTARIO, CANADA, A coura- BATION.

METHOD .OFREQOVERING IRON FROM ORES AND .EPREPARING IRON ALLoYs.

No Drawing.

To all ivho'm it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER S. RAM- .AGE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Recovering .Iron from 'Ores' and Preparing Iron Alloys, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The object of the presentinvention the provision of amethod whereby-electro- 'lytic iron of' high purity, or certain desired alloys, may be cheaply and easily obtained from ores or .compounds of iron, and par.- ticularly such as by reason of their physical character, inherent impurities, etc., are almost or quite unworkable by-ordinary metal- The method 'Will be described by way of example as applied" to the treatment of magnetite containing titanium, a material whereof- 'vast deposits have long been 7 known. Thismaterial may be directly reduced under conditions as hereafter described, but when, as is often the case, the iron content is susceptible of magnetic concentration, I prefer to subject it to such. concentration before reduction. The impure oxid is then charged into rotary cylinders or other suitable furnaces, and is heated therein in pres ence of a gaseous reducing agent at a temperature below .the lneltlng. point of Hon until the iron content is reduced to a metallic sponge. The preferred reducing agent is a mixture of hydrogen 'and carbon monoxid, preferably containing an excessof hydrogen above that contained in ordinary water-gas, and conveniently prepared by adding to water-gas the hydrogen which is expelled during annealing f rom the electrodeposited iron, as hereafter described." The reduction of the ironoccurs at a dull red heat, whereas the titanium oxld 1s unafr' fected by this treatment, and remains as an anode sludge in the subsequent electrolysis,

The reductionis effected, substantially entirely by the hydrogen of the reducing agent,

the carbon monoxid and any residual hydrogen bein used for heating the furnaces.

Instead ov a gaseous reducing agent I may employ carbon, but in this case the metallic powder is unsuited for usesas anodes in the electrolytic production of the purest grades of iron, and is preferably purified by mag- Specification of Letters Patent. EatntedFeb; 15, 1910. i Application filed August 21, 1909. Serial No. 514,020.

'netic separation before being subjectedto electrolysis.

' The iron powder or sponge containing unreduced oxid of titanium but substantially free from carbon is discharged from the furnace int air-tight vessels wherein itis permitted 0 cool and is then electrolytically dissolved in a suitable electrolyte,

.rent density during the electrolysis should preferably be about ten amperes per square foot and the temperatures'l iO F. Owing to the extremely pervious condition of the metal, the acid liberated by electrolysis dis solves the anodes very quickly and the baths do notbecome acid for a long time.

I have observed that by using spongy iron as the anode,-the iron dissolves at substantially the same speed as that at which 'it is deposited, so that the electrical. energy .required amounts to but little more than enough to supply the resistance losses, thus enabling a much lower voltage current to be used than if thereis used, as anode, cast iron or scrap, the rate of solution of which is comparatively slow. An electromotive force approximating one-half volt is suitable. Should acidity occur, the liquor may be neutralized in any known way. It is further desirable that the electrolyte be kept out of contact with air as much as possible by means of a layer of oil, or the like, so that-therformation of ferric salts may be avoided. As ferric salts are nevertheless likely to be formed to a greater or less extent, I prefer to acidify the liquor occasionally,- add some of the metallic powder and heat to boiling, whereby the liberated hydrogen reduces the ferric salts to ferrous salts,

thus regenerating the bath.

The electrolytically deposited iron is saturated with hydrogen, and the cathodes after removal from the bath, may be heated or annealed in closed boxes which are fitted-with pipes leading to pumps which exhaust the hydrogen and deliver it to be mixed with water-gas for reducing theore to the metal-- lic state.

Instead of magnetite, the methodis applicable to other ores of iron, as for example the burnt ore from copper extraction Works, technically known as blue billy, a material containing upward of 90 per cent. of ferric oxid, with a little lead, copper, sulfur, cal; cium, etc. In case pyrites is used, it is first roasted to drive oif the sulfur, and then reduced.

The electrodeposited iron is saturated with hydrogen, which may be expelled by annealing under reduced pressure as above described. In certain cases however, and particularly when the iron is to serve for the preparation of special'or alloy steels, I prefer to oxidize the hydrogen in presence of the iron, using for this purpose the reducible oxids of the elements to be alloyed with the iron. For example, the iron cathodes may be' melted down in magnesia crucibles in an electric or other furnace with a suitable proportion of the iron sponge containing titanium oxid derived from the reducing furnaces. During this operation the titanium 'oxid is reduced by the hydrogen which was occluded by the iron, and the titanium alloys with the iron. Or the cathodes may be melted with other reducible oxids, such as those of vanadium, chromium, tungsten, etc.,

'chlorid solutions, be dissolved and deposited with the iron, improving its qualities for some purposes or f remaining in the anode sludge, theymay be" recovered therefrom. by

appropriate treatment.

I clalm: -1. The method of recovering iron from ores, which consists in reducing the ore and preparing an iron sponge substantially free from carbon,. and electrolytically refining said sponge.

' 2. The method of recovering iron from ores, which consists in reducing the ore by means of a gaseous reducing agent and preparing an iron sponge substantially free from carbon, and electrolytically refining said sponge.

' 3. The method of recovering iron from ores, which consists in reducing the ore by means of a mixture of hydrogen and water gas and preparing an iron sponge substantially free from carbon, and-electrolytically refining said sponge.

" 4. The method of recovering iron from ores, which consists in reducing the ore to a spongy metallic condition, electrolytically depositing iron from a suitable solution using the spongy iron as anode, and 'separating the occluded hydrogen fromthe electrodeposited metal. I

5. The method of recovering iron from s u 7 i ores, which consists in reducing the ore to a spongy metallic condition, electrolytically depositing iron from a.:- suitable solution using the spongy iron as anode, and separating the occluded hydro en from the electrodeposited metal by oxi ation.

6. The meth d of recovering iron from ores and preparing alloys, which consists in reducing the ore to a spongy metallic condition, electrolytically. depositing iron from a suitable solution using the spongy iron as anode, and oxidizing the occluded hydrogen by means of an oxid of an alloying metal.

7. The method of removing occluded hydrogen from 'electrodeposited iron, which consists in disseminating through the electrodeposited iron in a molten state, areagent capable of oxidizing hydrogen. v

8. The method of removing occluded hydrogen from electrodeposited iron, which consists in disseminatingthrough the electrodeposited iron in-a molten state, a metallic oxid reducible by hydrogen.

9. The method of. preparing alloys from eleetrodepositedf iron containing occluded hydrogen, which consists in melting the iron in presence of a reducible oxid of an alloying metal. v

10. The method of recovering iron from titaniferous iron ores, which consists in reducing the iron without substantial 'reduction of titanium, thereby preparing an iron sponge containing titanium oxid, and electrolytically refining said sponge.

ll. The method .of recovering iron from titan'iferous iron ores, which consists in reducing the iron without substantial reduction of titanium, thereby preparing an iron sponge containing titanlum oxid, .electro-u lytically refining said sponge, and finally melting the 'electrodeposited'iron, containm occluded hydrogen, in presence of the reduce sponge containing titanium oxid. v

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALEXANDER S. RAMAGE. I'Vitnesses:

Gnome G. GOODRICH, V31. MAKER. 

